The History of and How to Make a Singapore Sling

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The last time I was at the Raffles Hotel I was pregnant, so no Singapore Sling for me. This time, I sat on the Garden Patio and sipped one after shopping at the arcade. The Singapore Sling was created upstairs in the Long Bar, but I prefer the outside seating when the weather cooperates.

According to the Raffles Hotel, here’s how the Singapore Sling came to be:

“The Singapore Sling was created at the Raffles Hotel at the turn of the century by Hainanese-Chinese bartender, Mr. Ngiam Tong Boon.

In the hotel’s museum, visitors may view the safe in which Mr. Ngiam locked away his precious recipe books, as well as the Sling recipe hastily jotted down on a bar chit in 1936 by a visitor to the Hotel who asked a waiter for it.

Originally the Singapore Sling was meant as a woman’s drink, hence the attractive pink colour. Today, it is very definitely a drink enjoyed by all, without which any visit to the Raffles Hotel is incomplete.”

Amen to that. If you make your Singapore Sling according to these instructions, realize that has a lot of alcohol. It won’t taste like it does though.

And, in case you’re wondering, this little gem cost S$25 plus service and GST tax. That makes it about $25 USD per Singapore Sling. But, if you’re in luxury hotels in Singapore, drinks are expensive. It’s worth it, however, as a Sling this delicious stateside is hard to come by.

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[…] at are rich with history and have been around long enough to have a vintage luggage labels. The Raffles Hotel in Singapore (link opens to the recipe for their famous Singapore Sling) has numerous vintage luggage labels, […]

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I'm Katie Dillon, a luxury travel writer and luxury hotel expert who lives in seaside La Jolla, CA. This is where I document my recent trips around the world, the latest San Diego happenings and other fun lifestyle topics. CST# 2011220-40

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